Rickmers-Linie Names JHL as New General Agent

The German project liner and heavy-lift specialist, Rickmers-Linie, has appointed Japan Heavy Lift Inc. (JHL), a Sankyu Group company, as its new general agent for Japan, effective March 1. Rickmers-Linie serves Japan with its Round the World (RTW) service on a fortnightly basis. In due course this service will see a major upgrade with the phasing in of newly built “Superflex Heavy MPC” vessels, of which three have been delivered and further six ships become available later this year., explains Gerhard Janssen, Rickmers’ newly-appointed General Manager, Marketing & Sales: “Shorter transit times, reliable sailing schedules and state-of-the-art vessel design for project cargo and heavy lifts will set a new benchmark for service quality in the Japanese breakbulk market.” The "Superflex Heavy MPC" vessels have a service speed of 19.5 knots. They are equipped with four cranes, two of which have a maximum lifting capacity of 320 tons and can be combined to lift a maximum of 640 tons. The main hatches are 32m in length to allow long loads under deck and adjustable tweendecks can cope with varying cargo height. A dehumidifying system controls the air in all holds, ensuring protection from condensation for all types of sensitive cargo.